


Falling Home to You

by WhiteravenGreywolf



Series: If I stay [16]
Category: Captain Marvel (2019)
Genre: Carol comes back injured, Do not listen to sad music while reading or you will cry, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, So many emotions, They are so soft together <3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 07:21:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18256475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteravenGreywolf/pseuds/WhiteravenGreywolf
Summary: Carol crash-lands in the garden after a dangerous encounter with the Krees. There is nothing Maria can do but wait for Carol to heal.





	Falling Home to You

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! In the past few days, a few people suggest to me a story about Carol being injured in some form or another, so I decided to write this story. I hope you guys will enjoy it.  
> This morning I did a presentation on Second Wave Feminism, except that I spoke too much and my teacher had to stop me before I could talk about the 70s, so I need to continue it next week... Best part is I get to talk about our dear friend Carol, whose first appearance as Miss Marvel dates back to 1968, so she's front and center on my slide "Female Superheroes created between 1965-1979". I wanted to add Monica too but she first appeared in 1982, so I'm super sad to say I couldn't include her :(  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you'll enjoy it and I'll see you guys tomorrow for another story!

Maria was not awakened by the loud crash in the garden. Though she was tired, she hadn't been able to fall asleep. After a good hour of tossing and turning in her bed, alone, she'd retreated in the living room, waiting for something, anything. The house felt so empty without Monica or Carol. Only Goose remained, sleeping peacefully beside her as if she didn't understand the dire situation they were in. The bang coming from behind the house pierced through the nervous cloud of her mind and she jumped to her feet. It had sounded like a bomb dropping into the ground. All she could do now was wait for the detonation. When nothing came, and the calm of the night returned, Maria grew more anxious. She walked through the kitchen and toward the back door.

  
The moon was barely shining that evening. She could hear crickets in the distance. Frogs croaking. The air was humid and heavy. In the deserted garden, she quickly noticed a hole in the ground. The impact must have been brutal, as bits of earth had been projected all over the garden. She approached the crater carefully until she could finally make out what was inside. Then, she ran up to it and slid inside.

  
"Carol!"

  
Carol was sprawled on her back, struggling to open her eyes. Blue blood was trickling from her nose, and some was staining her hair in a strange shade of teal. Maria carefully placed her hands on either side of her head. Through her panic, she tried to remember her first aid courses. Carol felt cold hands on her cheeks and forced her eyes open. A grin spread on her lips.

  
"Hey, I'm home..." she mumbled.

  
"Don't you dare," Maria shouted back at her. "Don't you dare die on me, Danvers."

  
"I'm fine..." Carol replied. "I'll be back on my feet in like... two minutes..."

  
Carol tried to push herself up. She gritted her teeth and forced her upper body to move past the pain which was irradiating thought her entire being. Her hand came to rest on her left side. Some of her ribs must have been broken.

  
"Don't move," Maria warned her.

  
"I'm alright. Maybe I could use a little shower but..."

  
Carol winced as she tried to stand up. Maria placed her hands on her shoulders to force her back on the ground.

  
"Don't tell me you're going back out there."

  
"No, don't worry. I just kicked some Kree asses, they won't be back just yet..."

  
Maria looked around them. There was no sign of pursuers who could have followed Carol back to Earth. But the sound of Carol crashing home had woken up their neighbors, and she could see Tom's house coming to life from afar.

  
"Come on, let's get you inside."

  
She moved to place herself beside Carol and together they stood up. Carol leaned heavily on her, her other hand holding her side. She was dragging her right foot behind, which Maria supposed must have been injured.

  
They made it into the house slowly, but already Carol stood a bit more on her own. Goose jumped off the couch, and after stretching herself, lazily rubbed her head against Carol's leg.

  
"Hey Goose," Carol chuckled.

  
"Come on, let's go to the bathroom," Maria decided.

  
They climbed up the stairs, and Carol finally managed to walk on her own, though she supported herself a bit on the wall. Maria opened the bathroom door, and Carol let herself fall on the side of the tub with a tired but relieved sigh. Maria closed the door behind them. Then, she stood in front of Carol, silently assessing the damage. Carol was extremely quick to recover from anything, both because of her Kree blood and her cosmic powers. The thing that had beaten her so roughly must have been very very strong.

  
A few broken ribs, probably, a twisted ankle at best. Maybe a concussion from the impact of the fall. There were probably a whole lot more things hidden under her uniform.

  
"Just give me a minute and I'll be fine. Maybe I'll just take a bath..."

  
Before Maria could stop her from moving, Carol turned toward the tub and opened the faucet. As water began to pour in the tub, Carol tried to bend over to take off her boots. However, she winced painfully every time she tried to bend at the waist.

  
"Could you give me a hand?" she asked after letting out a huff.

  
Maria looked at her in disbelief. She crossed her arms.

  
"Are you serious right now?"

  
"I just destroyed three Accusers war-ships and god knows how many ships, I must smell like a junkyard. Help me out of this stupid uniform?"

  
Finally, with a sigh, Maria relented. She kneeled in front of Carol and carefully took off her shoes. The left came off easily. Carol took in a sharp breath as the right slid off. Maria inspected her ankle quickly. It was a bit swollen, and bruised, a bluish mark slowly disappearing there.

  
"How the hell did you twist your ankle in space?"

  
Carol shrugged.

  
"Don't know. Must have happened when I landed."

  
Carol took off her gloves and threw them in a corner of the room. Her hands were bleeding, tainted with blue from the torn skin on her knuckles. She took off her belt and threw it aside too. Then, she pushed herself up again. She lost balance and Maria quickly came to support her.

  
"I suppose you remember how to take it off?" Carol asked. There was a playfulness to her voice, but it didn't make Maria smile.

  
Maria turned her around and found the hidden button under her collar. The outfit relaxed around Carol's form, becoming looser and larger, and Maria helped her pass it over her shoulders. Carol was wearing a tank top under, but it wasn't much to hide her wounds. It had turned a dull shade of blue, absorbing Carol's blood. The more Carol peeled away her suit, the more marks Maria noticed. Something had torn through the shirt and had been embedded in Carol's side, just above her pelvis. There were light burn marks on her calf – what could have burned her was a great mystery.

  
It looked even worst when Carol, with some difficulty, pulled the tank top off her head. Maria audibly gasped when she saw the wound on Carol's side slowly closing up, and the many bruises on her ribs, sides, and back.

  
"That bad?" Carol joked.

  
Maria didn't answer. Carol discarded her underwear without much difficulty, and she sank into the tub with a sigh of pleasure. It quickly turned into a wince of pain when she placed her hands in the water as well, to wash them off. Maria sat on the side of the tub and watched as the water turned an abnormal shade of blue.

  
A heavy silence fell between them after Carol turned off the faucet. Carol sank further into the water, bringing her legs up to her body. The tip of her blond hair floated at the edge of the water. She sank until her jaw touched the water and waited. Maria simply stared at her, as her brain slowly adjusted to everything that had just happened. Her Carol was back, mostly in one piece, but she was back, she would be okay, and that was what mattered. She looked so small in her bath, all curled up as she was.

  
"Did I wake you up?" Carol's voice cut through the silence.

  
Maria shook her head.

  
"I couldn't sleep. I was too worried. You left so quickly earlier."

  
"I'm sorry."

  
"What happened to you?"

  
Carol sighed longly and relaxed further.

  
"The Krees were back for me. They had a bunch of new weapons, things I'd never seen before. I guess they really wanted to take me down. I don't think they'll try again after that."

  
Something tightened in Maria's chest. The Krees had developed weapons that could harm Carol. It didn't seem like much since Carol was already recuperating, but give them a bit more time, and who's to say they wouldn't make stronger weapons. Weapons that could stop her for good.

  
"What are you going to do?" Maria asked hesitantly.

  
"I don't know. I mean I really want to sleep right now, but I'm assuming you meant about the Krees."

  
"You could have a concussion," Maria said softly.

  
"Just give me a few minutes and I'll be right as rain," Carol said with a shrug.

  
She took a deep breath and disappeared under the water, most of her wet blond hair floating to the surface. More blue blood was washed away, creating for a brief moment wisps of dark blue in the water, before is dissolved completely. Maria watched her girlfriend with worry. It almost felt like Carol wasn't taking any of this seriously. She had almost died. She had crash-landed in their garden with multiple wounds which had probably been aggravated on impact with the ground.

  
Maria looked away when she felt tears prickling her eyes. There was no reason to cry. Carol was going to be just fine. She was alive. She was home. What more did she need?

  
She felt a wet hand on hers and looked back at Carol. Carol was looking at her with concern.

  
"Hey. I'm okay. I'm alive."

  
She entwined their fingers and pushed herself up. Dirty water dripped down her body. The bruises were gone. There was barely any scars left from the wounds. Carol placed a kiss on Maria's lips, and Maria felt tears escape her eyes. She felt so stupid, crying over something that hadn't happen. Carol was fine. She was there. She was alive. She was home.

  
When they parted, Carol cupped her face and brushed away the tears, leaving wet imprints on her cheeks. She smiled at her and said:

  
"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I promise. I will always come back to you."

* * *

  
  
Once Carol had changed into soft pajamas and Maria had stopped crying, they fell into bed, cuddling, holding onto each other with absolutely no wish to let go. Maria's head rested against Carol's chest. She could feel Carol's heart beating against her ear. Carol's strong arms were wrapped around her shoulders, while hers were secured around Carol's waist.

  
Every single sign of Carol's injuries had completely disappeared and all the blood she'd lost had been flushed down the drain. The last signs of her struggle were laying in a heap on the bathroom floor, waiting to be stuffed in the washing machine the next day.

  
The night was calm around them, with barely a sound to disrupt their bubble. Even when she spoke, Carol's voice was soft:

  
"Maybe I should warn SHIELD that we're clear from an alien invasion."

  
Maria smiled.

  
"Why didn't you stop there before coming home?"

  
"Because I just wanted to be home. I didn't want you to worry. I know you would have continued to worry even if I called you."

  
"Well, someone has to worry for the both of us, since you don't seem to be so worried.

  
Carol's smile faded.

  
"I worry. Every time I go out there to fight, I worry. What if I fail and the Krees brainwash me again? What if I just die out there, and you never know what happened to me? What if I'm not strong enough? I think about you, and Monica and I imagine you two mourning me all over again, and it hurts so much..."

  
Maria pressed a light kiss on Carol's collarbone.

  
"You are strong enough. I know you are."

  
Carol passed a hand through Maria's hair.

  
"It doesn't feel like it, sometimes. Sometimes I need you to remind me that I am strong."

  
Maria finally let go of Carol's waist and pushed herself up. She hovered over Carol, her dark eyes gazing straight down into Carol's.

  
"You are strong. Nothing will ever stop you. Don't ever forget that."

  
Carol smiled. She pushed herself up in an attempt to capture Maria's lips with hers, but Maria pinned her back down with a hand on her shoulder.

  
"And you will always come back to me," she ordered.

  
Carol agreed.

  
"Always."


End file.
